Noise pollution is reshaping the health and behaviour of animals everywhereFri, 13 Nov 2026 18:00:00 +0000 There is almost nowhere on Earth free from disruptive human noise – but it's one of the easiest environmental problems to solve | |
Did El Niño cause an early breakdown in the polar vortex?Fri, 13 Nov 2026 17:55:02 +0000 The polar vortex winds have undergone an unprecedented weakening, which could bring cold weather to Europe. Some scientists suspect the record El Niño is to blame | |
Researchers build the first ever quantum clock that uses sunlightFri, 13 Nov 2026 17:00:00 +0000 Quantum clocks usually rely on advanced lasers and isolated atoms in the lab, but a new experiment showed that the same clock design can work with sunlight instead | |
Which science-fiction novels have been best at predicting the future?Fri, 13 Nov 2026 16:00:00 +0000 We’ve loved sci-fi at New Scientist for the past 70 years, but which novels got the future right? From Neuromancer to The Handmaid’s Tale, Emily H. Wilson picks the most prescient reads of the past seven decades | |
Can you pass our science quiz set by Nobel laureates?Fri, 13 Nov 2026 13:00:00 +0000 Test your knowledge of Nobel-prizewinning discoveries in microbiology, genomics and cosmology with questions set by the laureates themselves: Barry Marshall, Jennifer Doudna and Saul Perlmutter | |
Why we buy: 5 thinking errors companies exploit to make you shopFri, 13 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 As we near Black Friday, columnist David Robson explores the psychology behind our impulse to buy things – and how marketers take advantage of our brains to push us to purchase | |
AI confirms a long-suspected limit on quantum computers’ advantagesThu, 12 Nov 2026 20:00:00 +0000 An AI-powered proof has rigorously shown that using quantum computers wouldn't have huge advantages for a whole class of mathematical problems, confirming a vastly influential conjecture | |
A robot has assembled a structure in space for the first timeThu, 12 Nov 2026 19:00:00 +0000 Autonomous in-orbit manufacturing will be key to any future space economy, and researchers have taken the first step with a robot building a radio antenna without astronaut assistance | |
Economics, not climate summits, will dictate the net-zero transitionThu, 12 Nov 2026 18:20:00 +0000 World leaders at COP31 show little enthusiasm for phasing out fossil fuels, but the plummeting costs of renewable energy will be the key factor in how quickly we can rein in global warming | |
Pink noise played during sleep shows promise for Alzheimer’s memory lossThu, 12 Nov 2026 17:00:00 +0000 There is some evidence that pink noise signals can boost the brain's ability to clear out waste products. Now there are some indications that this might improve memory performance in people with Alzheimer's | |